Determination
by PhantomBella
Summary: A quick GaaHina oneshot set during the Chuunin exams. Not overly fluffy, but still enjoyable!


**A/N:** This is the first chapter to my other multi-chap fic, _Of Revenge and Regret._ I've decided to make that one a SasuHina (many thanks to Taixonay for her advice and willingness to ask me questions that made me actually think about the plot…XD .) Anyway, I felt Gaara wasn't getting enough love, so I decided to post this to feature him a bit more. For those of you who haven't already, I think you should check out my other story. I promise I'll update more often! I have the plot down and it's Summer so I have a lot of free time. Well, I've prattled enough, so here's the disclaimer and my little oneshot!

**Disclaimer** I do not own any characters from Naruto. All I own is the plot of this story.

Hinata sighed as she gazed over the lake. A squall had come in just the night before, rustling the trees and stirring up the lake. The water was grey, just like the haze which formed over the petite kunoichi's eyes as she succumbed to defeat a few weeks ago. She shuddered as she thought of how Neji had shamed her hard work in front of all the people she cared about.

A pair of blackbirds flying just over the churning waves of the lake caught Hinata's eyes. She marveled at them as they struggled against the wind, trying to make it back home across the lake. Their little wings beat laboriously against the wind, trying to gain altitude and find a weak spot in the system of air. A few minutes into the battle, the pair made a hairpin turn and shot back to land in the trees near Hinata.

'They lost the battle, just like I did,' Hinata thought sadly as the little creatures shivered where they rested. To her surprise, the birds got up after only a few moments and proceeded to fight the wind again. Their bodies shook with weakness, but they still fought to reach their nest on the other side of the lake.

'They're just like Naruto,' Hinata mused. The young kunoichi shivered with the cold; evening was setting in. Hinata jumped up into a tree and hugged her knees to her chest for warmth. Using her Byakugan, she could easily keep track of the little birds from where she was hidden. She watched them for hours, getting closer to their goal with every try but never quite making it.

"Why do people try so hard? What makes them do foolish things to get what they want?" A cold voice sounded near Hinata. She located the source instantly with her Byakugan. It was the red-haired sand-nin she had witnessed killing three other ninja.

His black-rimmed aquamarine eyes followed Hinata's, spotting the birds she watched so intently. The Hyuuga shook with fear, this boy was a killer. His stance was aggressive; knees slightly bent and poised as if he would lunge at her. The pale girl could not move; every muscle was tense. She heard a popping noise, and saw the boy's fist clench around a small cylindrical object. A cork.

The air was filled with the rustling sound of moving sand. Two thin tendrils of the sand snaked their way around the Hyuuga's neck, applying pressure as the sand-nin slowly closed his extended fist. He slowly pulled her close to him, reveling in the sounds of her sof whimpering.

"Answer me!" the boy yelled, bringing his trembling left hand up to clutch his forehead in pain. Hinata's eyes dialated in fear; she didn't know how to answer his question. She suddenly felt a familiar sensation in her chest...'Not now!' Hinata thought. A warm sticky liquid passed through her lips as she coughed into the sand.

An inhuman sound escaped the sand ninja. He pulled at his hair with both of his hands now; aquamarine eyes disappearing behind those sinfully black eyelids. As the boy became distracted, the sand quickly dispersed and freed Hinata. The blood in her chest receded quickly as the pressure left her neck. At first she felt the impulse to run away, but something about the snarling boy glued her to the spot. She pitied him.

"What is your name?" Hinata asked quietly, without stuttering. She wanted to know this person; know why he was so strange. It was obvious to her that no one wanted to interact with him, which made her feel sorry for him all the more. The boy looked up, looking deranged with his bloody hair in every direction and cold eyes still twisted in anguish.

Ignoring her question, he lunged out to strike the Hyuuga. She easily dodged the blow by leaping to another tree. White eyes widened in surprise. Why would anyone treat another like this when they were just trying to help?

The sticky liquid began to resurface; the worst of the attack was not over. Hinata doubled over, coughing and sputtering blood all over herself. She fell to her knees, cursing Neji for doing this to her and cursing herself for being so weak. The Hyuuga's palms trembled as they sought the ground for support. Her chest was on fire; pain wracked her body. There was no escape.

A soft rustling noise behind her reminded Hinata that the sand was still there. She looked up at the grey sky before collapsing and feeling the grainy substance overwhelm her.

It was midnight. The sky was cloudless. The pale light of the moon and stars shone through a window as a fragile girl stirred in her sleep. She woke to find no one there.

'It was all just a dream,' Hinata thought as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She gazed around her room sleepily, and noticed something strange on the wall opposite her.

'Subaku no Gaara' was written in hardened sand. Just as she caught sight of the figures scribbled in a harsh hand, the sand began to deform and snake its way out of her bedroom.

"Gaara…" Hinata murmured as she recalled their encounter. She felt dried blood all over her clothes, and her sheets were under her.

'Was I dreaming then? Am I dreaming now? Or was all of that real?' Hinata thought. She looked over at her alarm clock. It read 3:00 AM in bold red lettering. The young Hyuuga sighed and rose from her bed. She opened the large windows the sand had passed through moments before and jumped, landing silently in her garden. Without another moment's hesitation, Hinata sprinted off into the darkness.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review!


End file.
